Stryker to transfer 300 workers to former Pfizer facility in Portage

Al Jones | Gazette File"It's just for space. We just need more space," Stryker Corp. spokeswoman Tamara Cutler says of the medical products company's plans to relocate about 300 of its area workers into a former Pfizer facility on Romence Road this fall. Stryker workers are shown in the lobby of Stryker Medical group's facility in Portage in this June 6 file photo.

PORTAGE – Stryker Corp. plans to relocate about 300 of its workers from one or more locations in Kalamazoo County to a long-time vacant former Pfizer Inc. building on Romence Road.

Portage Mayor Pete Strazdas said Tuesday night that Stryker has agreed to lease a quarter of the “quad building” at 1901 Romence Road that was vacated years ago by Pfizer. The building had been built and used for a variety of purposes in the 1970s by The Upjohn Co. and then Pharmacia Corp. when the two pharmaceutical companies merged. In 2003, Pharmacia became part of Pfizer.

Stryker will lease about 96,000 square feet of the nearly 400,000 square feet for offices, conference rooms, a fitness facility and auditorium.

“Our business continues to grow. We need additional space,” said Tamara Cutler, spokeswoman for the Kalamazoo-based medical products and technologies company.

Although she said Wednesday morning that she could not yet provide details of what functions or jobs are relocating, Cutler said, “We're moving certain groups of existing employees who already live and work in the Kalamazoo area to this newly leased space.”

She emphasized that the positions are employees that already live in the Kalamazoo area — approximately 300 — are transitioning from existing Stryker facilities to Romence Road facility.”